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The drug - which was used in shamanistic rituals in Mexico - is said to provoke uncontrollable laughter and evoke childhood memories.

But following the Star's investigation, the shop's owner, Lindsay Thomas, said he will let the stocks of salvia run out and never order the drug again.

Mr Thomas said: “We are not the only business in Ipswich selling this product.

“We have sold it for many years, but sales are very slow, so we have thought about discontinuing the line for quite a while now.

“With the media coverage of late, it has only reinforced our attitude that as a responsible retailer now is the time to discontinue the product.”

Although salvia is legal to buy - there is increasing concern about the substance in America and the UK.

The mother of 17-year-old student Brett Chidester, from America, blamed the drug for her son's suicide.

The UK government recently asked an independent body to look into the legal highs market and pay close attention to salvia.

The Purple Shop featured in the Evening Star in 2003 for selling magic mushrooms and withdrew sales seven months before the government banned the sale of the drug.

But despite his decision not to stock salvia anymore, Mr Thomas said people who want the drug would still be able to purchase it elsewhere.

“As with the mushrooms, those that still wish to purchase these and similar products only have to go online or go to different retailers to obtain them, and unfortunately they will probably end up in the wrong hands, with no safety information to back them up.

“I sincerely hope that the government bans these products soon, but watch the manufacturers come up with an alternative in no time and the cycle will start all over again.

“We have decided that in the future we will not be stocking any similar or alternative products.”

Mr Thomas added that the shop staff were always “very careful” about who they sold age-related products too.

He could have been 90% close to commiting suicide and Salvia just put the icing on the cake.

Which all in all would mean that Salvia was not the problem.Parenting,Society,school maybe is to Blame.NOT SALVIA.

I get sick of these ignorant parents Blaming Relitivly safe drugs on they're kids suicide.Do they ever stop and think, hmmm I wonder why my kid was taking drugsi n the first place.Gee golly wiz, IDK maybe its because they have problems they are trying to escape from.Problems that would lead to suicide regardless if they consumed mind alterning substances.

Why dont I here tons of stoys blamming alcohol for youthful suicides as I know it has to have contributed just as much or more than the other drugs out there.

I love how it doesn't say "As study conducted found that salvia caused X,Y and Z negative effects on the user" the best they can come up with is one anecdotal report. If that's the best the scaremongering media can do it just proves what little ill effect salvia has.

SWIM is incredibly disappointed that salvia will now likely be banned in his come country because of this whole "legal high" bullcrap.

For one thing, even if drug laws were at all the way to go, the stuff is pretty harmless toxilogically (if that is a word), and should really have been a minority "interest" if people didn't consider it a "legal high".

SWIM is afraid that salvia will become unavailable since most of the people who were creating a market from it will just forget about it once it becomes illegal, and dealers will have no reason to risk selling it illegally.

SWIM will just have to get hold of some cuttings before it happens. It doesn't exactly look conspicuous so hopefully there should be no problem, especially if he just uses it occasionally for personal use and doesn't pass it round much (since nobody else would really want it).

SWIM is incredibly disappointed that salvia will now likely be banned in his come country because of this whole "legal high" bullcrap.

For one thing, even if drug laws were at all the way to go, the stuff is pretty harmless toxilogically (if that is a word), and should really have been a minority "interest" if people didn't consider it a "legal high".

SWIM is afraid that salvia will become unavailable since most of the people who were creating a market from it will just forget about it once it becomes illegal, and dealers will have no reason to risk selling it illegally.

SWIM will just have to get hold of some cuttings before it happens. It doesn't exactly look conspicuous so hopefully there should be no problem, especially if he just uses it occasionally for personal use and doesn't pass it round much (since nobody else would really want it).

Click to expand...

all amazing posts

this legislation will probably not be seen in this country... I doubt we'll see salvia added to the scheduling system anytime soon... law enforcement has enough to worry about with all of the truely deadly drugs out there...

I beleive this for 1 reason: the users of these and other psychedelics are actually admitting it openly.... the 'drug user' is no longer a destitute homeless guy with no friends/family(as the govt'/propagandists would have you beleive,and is the image conjured by most people when 'drug abuse' comes up...), but they've become every tom, dick and harry.... and we aren't afraid to come out and speak against the injustices we face.

if salvia were to become illegal, it would fade from existance almost certainly. the only draw that salvia claims is it's legality coupled with psychoactivity. If salvia and salvinorin a were to be banned, there is a list of 100's of RC's that would flood in to take it's place... with the emphasis on legality, not on the particular substance or feeling.....

salvia isnt incredibly enjoyable... the difference between a decent trip and an overly intense trip are just too close. this is WHY it's still legal.. people aren't adicted to it, people aren't spending every cent they make on it... it's just not that good.

also, salvinorin a and b have been studied as precursors to other, more potent drugs.

if we do see legislation, it's for a few very simple reasons: salvia just doesn't make enough profit for those who deal in it, so the only people who would go out of their way to counter legislation won't bother.
those who REALLY enjoy the trip salvia gives aren't going to be speaking out against it.. especially not in the numbers of 'concerned parents'...

and after all, almost all parents will take the side of prohibition in this case: no mother wants to see their kid kill themselves, and no mother even wants to think about the REASONS WHY they did it... they'd rather rationalize that "it was the drugs' fault...".. and anyone who's got kids can sympathise with that logic.

no parent ever wants to contemplate where they went wrong with their children.